Lou Korac's Blues Player Grades

[TBone]

All with extensive comments.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis- ... NjYXQtIbl0

[stlblues1979]

All with extensive comments.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis- ... NjYXQtIbl0

Thanks for the article. Just skimmed over it, but I think he's pretty much spot-on with the grades. Have to read it more closely regarding the comments.

[BluesDom]

I like this version better than JR. Nothing to argue. Well done. Kudos to the Blues from moving on from Saad Perunovich and PO Joseph. (I was skeptical at the time) Tucker move worked out. Fowler was a home run. Suter. Vets played great down the stretch. (including Faulk!)
Arrival of Bolduc, Holloway and Broberg.
Thomas and Kyrou improvement and arrival into veteran status. Can be counted on-2 way games.

Solid goaltenders.
Good job by coach.

Guys on the bench--kessel, texier, joseph--fitting grades imo.

[a smell of green grass]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

[BluesDom]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

Broberg, Holloway and Fowler, Made playoffs. Team was awesome after 4 nations. Got a rock star coach. Team is loaded with prospects. Veteran contracts drop off each year going forward. Definitely an A for this year. Next year--new year.
Brayden Schenn reminded us all that hes still pretty good. We understand that we need a center. Nobody is desperate. Every NHL team is working constantly. It is what it is. To steal a quote from my kids..."Brrrooooooo, Why are you so mad!"

[callitwhatyouwant]

Pretty good Evals. Was interesting that it was mostly A's B's or D's F's. Also like that he did the coaches and GM. It's a bummer Parayko didn't get to finish the season out, if he would have played at his level he might have received some votes. Monty should get some love but doubt he will. Army has a real shot at winning but will probably finished 3rd in the voting.

[Blue Sabbath]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

Broberg, Holloway and Fowler, Made playoffs. Team was awesome after 4 nations. Got a rock star coach. Team is loaded with prospects. Veteran contracts drop off each year going forward. Definitely an A for this year. Next year--new year.
Brayden Schenn reminded us all that hes still pretty good. We understand that we need a center. Nobody is desperate. Every NHL team is working constantly. It is what it is. To steal a quote from my kids..."Brrrooooooo, Why are you so mad!"

I'm a little concerned about the ceilings of most of the 'rest' of our prospects after Dvorsky, Stenberg, Jiricek and Lindstein frankly. Stancl, Pecarcik, Kaskimaki, Fisher etc. and even Korotky could surprise but right now its kinda 'what you see is what you get' imo. We could use a couple more studs in the prospect pool because what we end up not having there will have to come from hockey trades and FA signings. We could end up overpaying in prospects money and term to get what we need. We may come up short.

[DawgDad]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

Broberg, Holloway and Fowler, Made playoffs. Team was awesome after 4 nations. Got a rock star coach. Team is loaded with prospects. Veteran contracts drop off each year going forward. Definitely an A for this year. Next year--new year.
Brayden Schenn reminded us all that hes still pretty good. We understand that we need a center. Nobody is desperate. Every NHL team is working constantly. It is what it is. To steal a quote from my kids..."Brrrooooooo, Why are you so mad!"

I'm a little concerned about the ceilings of most of the 'rest' of our prospects after Dvorsky, Stenberg, Jiricek and Lindstein frankly. Stancl, Pecarcik, Kaskimaki, Fisher etc. and even Korotky could surprise but right now its kinda 'what you see is what you get' imo. We could use a couple more studs in the prospect pool because what we end up not having there will have to come from hockey trades and FA signings. We could end up overpaying in prospects money and term to get what we need. We may come up short.

Nothing about these prospects can be proved on paper or in debate. Let them play, see who rises to the challenge. There are a lot of marbles in the jar.

Keep in mind the comments Army dropped on Kaskimaki having a shot to stick and on Peterson. Very quickly there are going to be NHL caliber players with little to no room to play for the Blues.

The Blues currently have a full roster, pending decisions on Faksa's status. We can quibble about upgrading positions like 2C/3C and RD but the the team as-is was ascending in the standings and quality of play. There is young blood in the forward ranks, on defense (Broberg, Tucker), and in goal. There are defensive prospects who should ripen on the vine when veterans start rolling off the payroll. All the 1's are still in the bank. This team is in pretty darn good shape all things considered.

[Nublues69]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

No way you are an actual blues fan...,.

[Blue Sabbath]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

Broberg, Holloway and Fowler, Made playoffs. Team was awesome after 4 nations. Got a rock star coach. Team is loaded with prospects. Veteran contracts drop off each year going forward. Definitely an A for this year. Next year--new year.
Brayden Schenn reminded us all that hes still pretty good. We understand that we need a center. Nobody is desperate. Every NHL team is working constantly. It is what it is. To steal a quote from my kids..."Brrrooooooo, Why are you so mad!"

I'm a little concerned about the ceilings of most of the 'rest' of our prospects after Dvorsky, Stenberg, Jiricek and Lindstein frankly. Stancl, Pecarcik, Kaskimaki, Fisher etc. and even Korotky could surprise but right now its kinda 'what you see is what you get' imo. We could use a couple more studs in the prospect pool because what we end up not having there will have to come from hockey trades and FA signings. We could end up overpaying in prospects money and term to get what we need. We may come up short.

Nothing about these prospects can be proved on paper or in debate. Let them play, see who rises to the challenge. There are a lot of marbles in the jar.

Keep in mind the comments Army dropped on Kaskimaki having a shot to stick and on Peterson. Very quickly there are going to be NHL caliber players with little to no room to play for the Blues.

The Blues currently have a full roster, pending decisions on Faksa's status. We can quibble about upgrading positions like 2C/3C and RD but the the team as-is was ascending in the standings and quality of play. There is young blood in the forward ranks, on defense (Broberg, Tucker), and in goal. There are defensive prospects who should ripen on the vine when veterans start rolling off the payroll. All the 1's are still in the bank. This team is in pretty darn good shape all things considered.

I'm quite hopeful about the future of this franchise and know it's early to judge the futures of the prospects. I've said so in other threads. I've also said more than once that we should just let the stew simmer and not trade a bunch of prospects to solve our 2c and #2 rhd issues.

My response to Blues Dom is just to temper the belief just backfilling with our current prospect group as our vets age out elevates us to CF or Cup contender.

We probably do trade a few prospects eventually and a few vets as well but by waiting with the prospects we maximize the return.

Once again I think the approach this off-season should be like the Hippocratic oath: Do no harm. Steady as she goes.

[DawgDad]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

Broberg, Holloway and Fowler, Made playoffs. Team was awesome after 4 nations. Got a rock star coach. Team is loaded with prospects. Veteran contracts drop off each year going forward. Definitely an A for this year. Next year--new year.
Brayden Schenn reminded us all that hes still pretty good. We understand that we need a center. Nobody is desperate. Every NHL team is working constantly. It is what it is. To steal a quote from my kids..."Brrrooooooo, Why are you so mad!"

I'm a little concerned about the ceilings of most of the 'rest' of our prospects after Dvorsky, Stenberg, Jiricek and Lindstein frankly. Stancl, Pecarcik, Kaskimaki, Fisher etc. and even Korotky could surprise but right now its kinda 'what you see is what you get' imo. We could use a couple more studs in the prospect pool because what we end up not having there will have to come from hockey trades and FA signings. We could end up overpaying in prospects money and term to get what we need. We may come up short.

Nothing about these prospects can be proved on paper or in debate. Let them play, see who rises to the challenge. There are a lot of marbles in the jar.

Keep in mind the comments Army dropped on Kaskimaki having a shot to stick and on Peterson. Very quickly there are going to be NHL caliber players with little to no room to play for the Blues.

The Blues currently have a full roster, pending decisions on Faksa's status. We can quibble about upgrading positions like 2C/3C and RD but the the team as-is was ascending in the standings and quality of play. There is young blood in the forward ranks, on defense (Broberg, Tucker), and in goal. There are defensive prospects who should ripen on the vine when veterans start rolling off the payroll. All the 1's are still in the bank. This team is in pretty darn good shape all things considered.

I'm quite hopeful about the future of this franchise and know it's early to judge the futures of the prospects. I've said so in other threads. I've also said more than once that we should just let the stew simmer and not trade a bunch of prospects to solve our 2c and #2 rhd issues.

My response to Blues Dom is just to temper the belief just backfilling with our current prospect group as our vets age out elevates us to CF or Cup contender.

We probably do trade a few prospects eventually and a few vets as well but by waiting with the prospects we maximize the return.

Once again I think the approach this off-season should be like the Hippocratic oath: Do no harm. Steady as she goes.

Agree. The Blues appear to be developing a lot of offensive-minded wingers. Can't play them all, and there are roles to be played by grown men on a Cup contender, like our 4th liners, Thomas, Schenn, Buch, Parayko, Fowler, et al. To your point of "do no harm", yeah, if they start going all-in IT HAD BETTER WORK! Otherwise, keep the powder dry. A move or two here and there might be all it takes to keep the roster and pipeline in order.

[Old_Goat]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

Well, I agree with you Army should not get an A. He should get an A+
And I call them as I see them...you get an F.

[Blue Sabbath]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

Broberg, Holloway and Fowler, Made playoffs. Team was awesome after 4 nations. Got a rock star coach. Team is loaded with prospects. Veteran contracts drop off each year going forward. Definitely an A for this year. Next year--new year.
Brayden Schenn reminded us all that hes still pretty good. We understand that we need a center. Nobody is desperate. Every NHL team is working constantly. It is what it is. To steal a quote from my kids..."Brrrooooooo, Why are you so mad!"

I'm a little concerned about the ceilings of most of the 'rest' of our prospects after Dvorsky, Stenberg, Jiricek and Lindstein frankly. Stancl, Pecarcik, Kaskimaki, Fisher etc. and even Korotky could surprise but right now its kinda 'what you see is what you get' imo. We could use a couple more studs in the prospect pool because what we end up not having there will have to come from hockey trades and FA signings. We could end up overpaying in prospects money and term to get what we need. We may come up short.

Nothing about these prospects can be proved on paper or in debate. Let them play, see who rises to the challenge. There are a lot of marbles in the jar.

Keep in mind the comments Army dropped on Kaskimaki having a shot to stick and on Peterson. Very quickly there are going to be NHL caliber players with little to no room to play for the Blues.

The Blues currently have a full roster, pending decisions on Faksa's status. We can quibble about upgrading positions like 2C/3C and RD but the the team as-is was ascending in the standings and quality of play. There is young blood in the forward ranks, on defense (Broberg, Tucker), and in goal. There are defensive prospects who should ripen on the vine when veterans start rolling off the payroll. All the 1's are still in the bank. This team is in pretty darn good shape all things considered.

I'm quite hopeful about the future of this franchise and know it's early to judge the futures of the prospects. I've said so in other threads. I've also said more than once that we should just let the stew simmer and not trade a bunch of prospects to solve our 2c and #2 rhd issues.

My response to Blues Dom is just to temper the belief just backfilling with our current prospect group as our vets age out elevates us to CF or Cup contender.

We probably do trade a few prospects eventually and a few vets as well but by waiting with the prospects we maximize the return.

Once again I think the approach this off-season should be like the Hippocratic oath: Do no harm. Steady as she goes.

Agree. The Blues appear to be developing a lot of offensive-minded wingers. Can't play them all, and there are roles to be played by grown men on a Cup contender, like our 4th liners, Thomas, Schenn, Buch, Parayko, Fowler, et al. To your point of "do no harm", yeah, if they start going all-in IT HAD BETTER WORK! Otherwise, keep the powder dry. A move or two here and there might be all it takes to keep the roster and pipeline in order.

Thanks

[dhsux]

All with extensive comments.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis- ... NjYXQtIbl0

Thanks for the article. Just skimmed over it, but I think he's pretty much spot-on with the grades. Have to read it more closely regarding the comments.

He made his case pretty well for the vast majority of grades.

He drilled Bannister hard with that D, not crazy about that, but he complimented him and then ultimately stuck with the stats and as they say, stats don't lie.

I like Monty's grade too, certainly not over the top and again, a hard B+.......but my guess is Monty would not disagree.

All in all I'd have to give Lou an A for his review of things. He nailed a lot of it.

[a smell of green grass]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

No way you are an actual blues fan...,.

People said the same thing when I griped about the Rams not drafting a QB, and keeping Bradford. People that remember me on RamsTalk know that I hammered on that nail for years like I am hammering on Army now.

The Rams first move after they got to LA was to draft a QB at #1.

I am a fan of the Blues, just like I was a fan of the Rams. I don't back down from poor management. That is the kind of fan that I am.

[dhsux]

No way that Army get's an "A".

Where do we stand after the "re-whatever"? Answer: No 2C. Our best players in the playoffs will be gone in 2 years or earlier. Next year's goal is to win 5% more in the regular season. Notice what he didn't say, "Win a cup". Desperation is still in order. Get ready for more long-term Leddys, Faulks, and Buchnevichs.

No way you are an actual blues fan...,.

People said the same thing when I griped about the Rams not drafting a QB, and keeping Bradford. People that remember me on RamsTalk know that I hammered on that nail for years like I am hammering on Army now.

The Rams first move after they got to LA was to draft a QB at #1.

I am a fan of the Blues, just like I was a fan of the Rams. I don't back down from poor management. That is the kind of fan that I am.

Please don't remind me of reading your historic posts of the past.

The present ones are bad enough.

You need to take a long break.